Patrick Henry’s Hahn a multitalented multitasker | Local News

EMORY, Va. — Addie Hahn was on the stage Sunday at the Lincoln Theatre in Marion, Virginia, representing the Appalachian Center for Ballet as she gracefully danced to those carefully choreographed steps in the lead role of Belle in “Beauty and the Beast.”

She was in beast mode five days earlier in a Hogoheegee District soccer match against the Rural Retreat Indians. She’s a midfielder and team captain for Patrick Henry High School’s co-ed team, one of seven females playing on a squad that competes against opposition comprised mostly of all guys and more than holding her own.

You learn pretty quickly that Addie Hahn is a multitasking teenager with multiple talents.

She’s a homecoming queen who hustles all over the volleyball court in producing points.

Hahn’s played the role of Jojo in “Seussical the Musical” and been on a state championship volleyball team.

She’s sung in the choir, been a member of the color guard, been an active member of Christ the King Catholic Church and taken part in gymnastics, along with those ballet, soccer and volleyball commitments.

She owns a 3.962 GPA and also has a bright smile that lights up a room as soon as she enters.

Hahn attacks those tough anatomy and physiology classes like she does the volleyball net or a foe dribbling a soccer ball.

Resting on her laurels or coasting by on natural talent alone is not the M.O. of this Patrick Henry senior.

Mediocrity or middling are nothing to settle for in her mind, and it can be seen in her approach to any assignment.

“I’m very competitive, I feel like,” Hahn said. “If there’s a challenge, I’m going to push to reach it. I want to show everybody that I put my best in it and try to set an example for my younger teammates that you have to put in the work to get to where you want to be.”

On Thursday, she will don a cap and gown in receiving her diploma, and Hahn can rest assured that she left her mark on the school located on Hillman Highway in Washington County.

“She’s such an incredible young woman, and it’s incredible to see her thrive and be successful in all her endeavors,” said Lauren Stauffer, Hahn’s classmate and volleyball teammate. “She’s such a sweet girl, and Addie really is one of a kind.”

Addie Hahn was a wide-eyed freshman, recently promoted from the junior varsity and soaking in the scene at a gym in Roanoke on a November day in 2018 as Patrick Henry rolled past Riverheads to win the VHSL Class 1 state volleyball championship.

In an example of her strong will and determination, she worked her way from backup to valuable contributor.

She went from being a mentee to a mentor.

“I would without a doubt tab her as the most improved player during her four years at PH,” said Patrick Henry volleyball coach Pam Ratliff Newberry.

She recalls the Region 1D finals during her junior season as one of her greatest memories on the court.

Patrick Henry had lost to Eastside in the regular season but exacted some revenge in beating the Spartans on their home court with Hahn collecting 14 digs.

“We had to go in and give it our all,” Hahn said. “We couldn’t slow down. It was physically a challenge and mentally a challenge, and we got through it.”

She faces a challenge in every soccer match as she competes against bigger and stronger guys.

“It’s a different dynamic,” Hahn said. “You have to push yourself to stick with them, and they’re physical stature is different. It’s very demanding.”

Yet it’s a challenge that Hahn doesn’t shy away from. She has one goal and two assists this season for the Rebels.

“It’s hard to ask on a co-ed team for girls to play up to the standards of guys, when it’s usually a separate sport,” said Wyatt Wright, one of the dudes on the soccer team. “But Addie steps right up to that level of intensity and fills in the role better than some of the guys out there.”

Opponents have learned not to ease up when they are matched up with Hahn, however.

“I never have to worry about her backing down from any task I give her,” said PH soccer coach Joell Bassett. “She takes them head on. She will take on boys who are much bigger than her and wins the ball back. It’s funny to see the look on the boys’ faces after she has challenged them. It is a look of shock most of the time.”

While there is a competitive desire that burns deep within Hahn, make no mistake that she has fun in playing sports.

When she was an eighth grader, Hahn provided a moment of levity that lives on in PH volleyball lore.

Newberry is reminded of it each time she wheels out the cart carrying the volleyballs.

“The JV coach was running a drill with the players on the opposite court, and I was coaching the varsity on the other court,” Newberry said. “I look up, and I see Addie go for a ball, dive on to the ball cart that was in the way, and she came rolling over on to my court on top of the ball cart. Addie was fine, and our cart still has a crooked leg. Addie always could make us laugh, sometimes intentional, sometimes unintentional.”

As with everything, Hahn grinned that thousand-watt smile.

“Addie is a person that you just enjoy being around,” Newberry said. “She makes you feel good about yourself.”

That is a trait evident in any activity Hahn, no matter how rigorous or pressure-packed.

“If you ever needed encouragement,” Wright said. “Just look at Addie. She is always playing her hardest and is always that person to encourage and help you keep moving forward.”

Addie Hahn stood in the spotlight on Sunday, her final dance in her final ballet recital.

She has been participating in ballet since she was 3 years old, and Sunday was her 16th and final recital.

“Each year, the seniors choose their own song and choreography to perform,” Hahn said. “It is a moment to take the stage before wishing it all farewell. Another special part of this recital was the number of small children looking up to me. I stepped on stage for my first dance, and I felt that I couldn’t let them down.”

She has always enjoyed being around youngsters, and that is why her career plan is to be a pediatric occupational therapist, and she will major in Health Sciences at James Madison University.

“I’ve worked with the Special Olympics program with the [Washington County] Community Scholars and my church,” Hahn said. “I really enjoyed working with those who needed an extra hand, and every year I’ve gone back, I’ve thought about what I wanted to do. I’m very much of a people person anyway.”

A people person who will be missed when she departs high school and heads up Interstate 81 to the college in Harrisonburg.

“Beauty and the Beast” has been described as a story “familiar to most and loved by all.”

That is also a fitting description of Patrick Henry’s leading lady according to her peers, coaches and teachers.

“If I had to sum up the last four years,” Hahn said. “I would say it’s been full of memories and adventure.”